The Dragon Manual
by JetWarrior
Summary: You can learn so much by simply observing dragons in their natural setting. The same can be said about people. These are simple vignettes on the main dragon species and their trainers. This chapter: The Hideous Zippleback. Pairings vary.
1. The Gronckle

_Hello! First story in this newly created fandom. I really can't believe how hard I've fallen for this movie, but there's a lot that's right about it, IMO._

_Anyways, this is a story in which I create little one-shots based on each dragon species and its trainer (if it has one). Most of the information I get is either from the movie, from the book series, or from the official website (I'll point out anything that is made up either by me or someone not involved with the franchise). Hope you like these! Pairings will come up as they do; assume at least Astrid x Hiccup, and perhaps Ruffnut x Snotlout a bit later.  
_

_I don't own any of these characters, human, dragon or otherwise. Also, note that any of these chapters have the potential to contain **[SPOILERS]** for the movie. This is your only warning.  
_

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**Gronckle**

_One of the toughest dragons in the world, Gronckles have large heads, short bodies, and round tails which can be expanded and used as a battering ram. They are not too fast, but they are extremely maneuverable. Gronckles are known to eat rocks and spit them out at their prey as molten projectiles. Extremely dangerous; kill on sight._

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Fishlegs Ingerman sat at the desk in his room, wide-eyed and restless, pouring over the Dragon Manual for what had to be the thirty-second time, going over fact after fact and figure after figure of all the creatures contained within. He couldn't help it, really; deep down, he knew that the manual was close to useless now that dragons weren't the enemies. Still, perhaps due to force-of-habit, he was enthralled by all the statistics held within, reciting them each under his breath as the candle flickered softly from the nighttime breeze rolling in from the open window nearby.

"Terrible Terror: Attack = 8, Venom = 12; Night Fury: Stealth = 13, Speed = 16; Gronckle: Jaw strength = 8...."

A snort came from somewhere behind him; Fishlegs ignored it.

The others thought him a bit of a geek for it, but Fishlegs didn't mind at all. It was almost like a game to him, figuring out the best plan of action based on the statistics of each opponent. More than that, though, he knew it was necessary. Knowing the different strengths and attributes of each dragon was the only thing that gave him confidence enough to face one. Back in the days (last week) when young Vikings had to face these beasts as they came of age to prove their worth, Fishlegs found his strength in knowing exactly where each dragon excelled, and how each one preferred to attack. In fact, had it not been for that one comfort, it may very well have been Fishlegs, and not Hiccup, who the town ridiculed at every turn. He gathered that, even knowing everything one could probably know about them, he was just as scared as the pariah-turned-hero whilst facing the dragons--he just hid it better.

Luckily, those days were over, and his interactions with dragons have improved tenfold.

Though he wasn't quite sure why, Fishlegs LOVED flying on the back of the newly domesticated beasts. It offered danger and excitement just like fighting them, but there was a different thrill to be had on the back of a dragon, flying through the air above the clouds, looking down and seeing everything you've ever known about the world right below. He could never have imagined that he would be among the first to know that glory, nor could he contain his impatience for the next time up.

Focusing on the textbook once more, Fishlegs couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to fly some of the rarer dragons. He envisioned himself on the back of a Timberjack, slicing through the forest without regard for any obstacles may be in front of them. Or perhaps even a Night Fury—he envied Hiccup for being the sole rider of the fastest dragon known to Vikings. One day, Fishlegs told himself, he'd be able to fly some of those bigger, faster dragons. Someday. For now, however, he'd have to make do with what he had. And 'what he had' was currently nudging the back of his chair incessantly. Fishlegs sighed; the candlelight had probably woken the dragon currently taking up most of the floor space in his room. He turned to face him.

"Sorry, buddy. Didn't mean to wake you...come on, let's both go to bed."

Fishlegs made sure to scratch the neck of his Gronckle before he extinguished the candle. A Gronckle: the dullest and laziest of all the known dragons. Sure, it was tough in a fight, but when it wasn't firing off shots of molten rock or eating freshly caught ewes, it was undoubtedly sleeping. And it does a lot of sleeping...it's even been known to fall asleep while flying (and the saltwater-soaked tunic drying outside was a testament to that)! Not to mention that while it could turn on a dime, it was still rather slow in the air, and the ultra-fast beating of its wings was very uncomfortable to sit in front of. In spite of all this, though, Fishlegs felt a huge affection for the beast. It was the first dragon that Fishlegs had ever not been afraid of. And it was the first dragon that Fishlegs had ever touched. And it was the first dragon that Fishlegs had ever flown.

And, if Fishlegs was really and truly honest with himself, it was the first real, true friend he'd ever had. His Gronckle was always there to greet him at the door, and always put up with his eccentricities just as Fishlegs had put up with the ones it came with. And even though he dreamed of one day being able to fly all the other, faster dragons, he knew he would always come back to his Gronckle, dullness, slowness, laziness and all, and he'd be happiest when he did.

Fishlegs climbed into his bed, careful to avoid the sleeping reptile on the ground. Tomorrow, he would help teach other Vikings how to ride dragons (_Hideous Zippleback: Speed = 9, Maneuverability = 7; Whispering Death: Stamina = 4, Speed x2 with mouth closed_), so he had to get a good night's rest. Before succumbing to sleep, Fishlegs called out to his dragon, "Goodnight, Horrorcow."

He got a snore in return. Typical.

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_...And that's the first chapter! I made up the battle stats for the Night Fury, as well as the flying stats for all the dragon. Also, the name 'Horrorcow' is the actual name of Fishlegs' dragon from the book series (though that dragon was a female, and definitely not a Gronckle)._

_Next chapter up will be the Deadly Nadder. Reviews are appreciated; I accept all forms of compliments, criticisms and cruelty_ ;-)_._


	2. The Deadly Nadder

_Next chapter! This time, the Deadly Nadder. Before starting, I'd like to give a special thank you to **Enchantable**, who has given me permission to use elements of her story in this one (I describe which specific elements at the end of the chapter). I'd highly recommend you read her stories, as they are already definitive of this young fanfic section! _;-)

_Once again, I don't own the characters, human or dragon.

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_

**Deadly Nadder**

_Fast and agile, the Deadly Nadder hunts in packs. Its bright blue and yellow hide may have given it the reputation of being among the most visually stunning of dragons, but don't let its beauty fool you--it has its name for a reason. Its fire is the hottest of all the dragon species, able to melt steal into lava and turning a Viking to ash in a matter of seconds. It is also able to fire spikes from its tail, impaling whatever prey is unable to get away in time. Extremely dangerous; kill on sight._

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"Could you wrap it up already!? We've got to go; we've got way too much to do today for you to waste time grooming yourself!" The bright blue Nadder turned her head and appeared to scowl at the skinny blonde in front of her. Didn't the girl realize that its color was half of its defense? Much like the colorful-yet-deadly poisonous frogs of the rainforest, the Nadder's bright colors warned other dragons not to get too close, lest they earn themselves a face-full of deadly spikes. Without its dangerously blue hide, many more dragons would dare to steal its catch, or even try and bring it down.

Plus, the colors were just nice to look at in the water.

No, the Nadder had no intention of stopping until she was certain she was fully clean from head to toe. Astrid Hofferson stood nearby, watching her newly inherited dragon wash itself in the small pond with impatience etched across her face. Why couldn't she just save it for later, Astrid wondered? The Nadder looked sparkling clean as it was; from her viewpoint, Astrid could see not a speck of dust on its hide. It refused to quit, however, until it was certain it was absolutely clean.

_'Hiccup is going to kill me'_, thought Astrid, though she knew he probably wouldn't even be mad about her being late. Still, they had a very important job to do--those eggs that survived the destruction of the Dragon's Nest were not going to fly themselves to Berk--and precious daylight was burning away as her beast continued to preen itself.

Astrid's thoughts turned to the boy in question, as she found they always did whenever she had a bit of down time to herself. She wondered what he was doing at that moment; probably shooting through the air upon Toothless, or perhaps making some new contraption with Gobber, or maybe even thinking...she blushed slightly...maybe even thinking about her at that very moment. Astrid shook her head; now wasn't the time for daydreaming about the Viking teen that had permeated her mind and heart....

"Aurgh!" She growled under her breath. The poor girl wouldn't admit it, but she was slowly-but-surely becoming quite smitten with the young man who only last week was absolutely the most useless excuse for a Viking ever born, yet now was the revered savior of their entire tribe. She hadn't quite figured out how deep her feelings for him went, but she took comfort in the fact that they had started to develop before he became the big hero, back when her admiration of him was simply due to his insistence of doing what he believed was right, even if that meant turning his back on the world and potentially losing everything he had ever known. To Astrid, Hiccup was a hero even back then.

She looked around at the scenery, determined not to focus at her splashing reptilian friend, and something caught her eye. She walked over to what was perhaps the greenest patch of grass around the pond; there, in the middle of the grass, was a single blooming flower. Astrid gazed upon it in wonder, its bright blue petals matching the girl's eyes almost perfectly. She swiftly plucked the flower from the ground and held it in front of her, staring in awe.

She was certain that no one knew, and she would never, ever admit it to anyone else, but the bluebell was Astrid's favorite flower. They were extraordinarily rare on Berk; the harsh winters and near-equally-harsh other seasons made certain that any plants not sturdy enough to handle them were in short supply. Grass was scarce enough this time of year, most of it having died until next season except around watering holes like the nearby pond. Flowers of any kind were even more uncommon, but bluebells especially. Only towards the end of the longest of springs would one hope to find a bunch blooming; Astrid herself had only seen 2 in her 16 year lifetime. To see one now, at the cusp of winter, had to be a sign, especially considering where her mind was just moments before....

The blonde teenager hadn't even noticed the large body that had settled next to her until its breath swayed the plant in her hand. Astrid turned and stared at the Nadder, who seemed mesmerized by the flower. Astrid turned back to the flower, then once again to the dragon. She moved her hand to the left, the dragon's head followed; she moved it to the right, the Nadder's head moved right. Hand up, head up; hand down, head down. Astrid couldn't believe it; she had never seen her dragon so engrossed in staring at anything except itself.

"You like the flower?" Astrid asked the Nadder. She simply continued to stare, hypnotized by the blue plant. Astrid brought it closer to the Nadder's nose, and allowed it to sniff. The dragon closed its eyes and purred as it breathed in deeply; Astrid spoke again, this time in a low whisper, lest anyone overhear what she was about to say.

"Don't tell anyone, but this is my favorite flower in the entire world. It's called a bluebell." The Deadly Nadder opened her eyes and looked at Astrid, nuzzling up to her as they shared what was now the favorite plant of both girls.

"Bluebell...you like that name?" The dragon purred in response. "All right...it's yours." Astrid said with a smile. The blue reptile opened its wings and let out an ecstatic roar. Astrid couldn't help but beam brightly; she and her dragon had had their first real bonding moment, though hopefully it wouldn't be the last. They basked in the glory of the moment for a bit longer, bluebell in hand, before Astrid realized they had business to attend to. She gently scratched Bluebell the Deadly Nadder on her neck before speaking once again.

"All right, Bluebell, ready to go?" She asked the Nadder. Bluebell got down low enough to allow Astrid to attach her (sparkling clean) saddle, and then mount her. Tucking the flower safely into her headband, she grabbed the reigns and gave the signal. Bluebell spread her wings, and with a majestic swoop, the pair took off into the bright blue sky, the dragon's skin blending in perfectly with the sky above it and the ocean beneath.

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Down below, near the pond, the seeds of the plucked bluebell begin to find root in the soft soil, next to the older plants. More Bluebells have already begun to sprout, their seeds having been planted months earlier. Apparently, someone knows their daughter much better than their daughter thinks, and while they've thought of passing on the knowledge to others, they figured that it might be best if "others" found out for themselves....

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_That it! The part about the bluebell flower being Astrid's favorite, as well as the inspiration for her dragon's name, is credited fully to **Enchantable** and her story "Of Hills and Bluebells" (as mentioned in the first A.N.). I just made up the story of how Bluebell the dragon got her name; it's not in any way a part of **Enchantable**'s official fanon, so if she ever writes a backstory about it, it will probably contrast with this one. _

_And I really have no knowledge of the bluebell's growth pattern, so don't try and negate any of that; I'm not a botanist and I don't claim to be one.  
_

_Next up is the Terrible Terror. Hope you guys enjoy this; reviews of any kind are welcome! _:-)


	3. The Terrible Terror

_Welcome back! Thanks for continuing to read this story! And thank you to all who have reviewed so far; you're making this easy for me! _:-)

_A couple of things before the actual story. A few reviewers were kind enough to point out my misuse of "site" instead of "sight;" I have since gone back and changed it for the previous chapters. I also changed a few details in the last chapter, and am trying harder to keep the little details of the movie in mind when I write these._

_This is the longest chapter I've written for this story so far--it has more than doubled the word count of the story by itself. Didn't plan it that way, but after reading some of the other stories, I wanted to add in a bit more detail in the descriptions. Hope you don't mind. _;-)

_That's all I got this time. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Remember, I don't own the characters, human or otherwise._

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**Terrible Terror**

_Though it may be the smallest dragon known, the Terrible Terror has its name for a reason. A single one can be a menace, blindingly fast and able to wreak havoc on anything it might target; they prefer traveling in flocks, however--sometimes 200 strong. In these numbers, entire flocks of sheep can disappear, and a Viking can be carried off, never to be seen again. Extremely dangerous; kill on sight._

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He didn't want to admit it, but he was scared. Tuffnut Thorston was scared stiff.

How could he have gotten himself into this situation? How could he have been so STUPID to not see what he was walking into? There were signs all over the place, yet somehow he had missed all of them...and now, here he was, staring straight into what he was certain would be his doom. Tuffnut didn't exactly consider himself a coward by any means, but there were a few specific scenarios he would rather not find himself in. This was one of them.

He had been told by his father that if he and his twin sister Ruffnut wanted to keep the Hideous Zippleback they had suddenly become in possession of, they would have to care for it all themselves (partly to help them prepare for the real world, and mostly because their parents didn't quite know how to properly care for dragons yet). And so it was, in a rare act of separation for the twins, that Tuffnut found himself trying to catch fish while Ruffnut stayed and cleaned the dragon's riding equipment (they'd wash the dragon together after a while, if they didn't kill each other first). He'd gone through the forest to edge of the island early in the morning armed with a harpoon and a large net attached to pole, trying to see which method would get him the biggest catch.

The net was more efficient, perhaps, but the harpoon took skill and was cooler, and so it was the weapon Tuffnut preferred. Besides, how would the "ultimate killing machine" look if he let these fish off the hook (pun not intended) by not impaling them with a gigantic spear? No, the blonde teenager took pleasure (perhaps too much) from the sound of iron ramming through flesh, and the look of blood diffusing throughout the water.

The "Fishscale Massacre," as Tuffnut privately referred to it as, went on for quite some time--the sun went from barely peaking over the horizon to being well above eye-level before he was satisfied with his haul. Using the net to carry it all, the boy started back in the direction of his house...and then realized that he didn't quite know which direction that was. He stood there for a bit and contemplated his possible courses of action; either he could take the long way and walk around the edge of the island until the forest thinned out a bit, or he could cut through the forest and hope that he might find his way. Walking around seemed much safer and sensible; naturally then, Tuffnut chose to cut through the forest.

As far as he was concerned, the forest was his. Tuffnut had played in these trees even when he was a tiny, curious boy, and they had always hid and protected him whenever he needed an escape. At ease even with the creatures that lived there, he had honed his sense of Tuff-ness right between the tall brown and green towers, and knew nearly every branch of every tree by heart...well, the ones behind his house anyways. This part of the forest, Tuffnut admitted to himself, was rather foreign. It wasn't often he visited this side of the island except to fish, and most of the time it was with Ruffnut at his side (or at his neck); she was the one who got them home most of the time. He wasn't bothered by it, however; he was Tuffnut. He didn't need his twin (and younger by three minutes) sister to guide him home.

The sun wasn't yet high enough to be completely blocked out by the trees, but the light coming in at the angle it was at gave the forest a bit of a mystical quality. Tuffnut took it uncharacteristically slow, step by step, careful not to lose any of the food in his net nor any of his equipment. He trekked onward like this for a bit, until he came upon a gradual hill he thought he recognized. Getting a good running start, the teen Viking charged up the hill, fish in tow, dodging trees and low branches as he sprinted towards the crest. He was almost at the top of the hill when he thought he heard noises coming from the other side. 'Maybe other Vikings out here gathering wood', Tuffnut thought as he huffed to the top of the forest hill. He gathered his breath and spoke aloud.

"Man...(**wheeze**)...I thought...(**wheeze**)...I thought I'd never get...(**wheeze**)...get up that hill...but I did! _I made it_!" Tuffnut yelled that last part to no one...and then he heard the mass shuffling in response. He froze...slowly, he looked down into the clearing at the other side of the hill. And immediately wish he were staring at anything else.

Tuffnut knew first hand that, despite their small size, even one Terrible Terror could do quite a bit of damage. He'd faced just one single one in training, and had decided after that encounter less than a month ago that he never wanted to face another one for a very long time.

You can't blame him, then, for turning to stone upon seeing well over one hundred of the tiny dragons all focus their steely gaze directly upon him.

Him, and his net full of fresh fish.

Tuffnut gulped. He had heard of flocks this big, but the most he had ever seen together was ten or so. This...this was overwhelming, to say the least. Looking around for an escape route, all he saw were trees. Ominously, some of them had scratch marks and burn marks on them. How had he not seen those before!? He had walked right into a den of his least-favorite dragon, and was certain that, despite how drastically Viking-Dragon relationships had transformed over the past couple of weeks, he was going to die.

There was no sound at all; the forest had gone dead silent. Tuffnut stared at them; all of them stared intently back. Tuffnut took a single step backwards, and in unison, all of the Terrible Terrors before him took a single step forward, keeping their focus directed at him. He chuckled nervously, and took yet another step back—a big mistake.

A twig snapped under his weight. A bird fluttered away, breaking the silence. And in that moment, all one-hundred-plus tiny Terrible Terrors let out shrieks and took flight, directly towards Tuffnut.

Tuffnut let out a frightened squeal and, completely on reflex, flung the net carrying the fish over his head, slinging his entire catch out over the clearing. The Terrors, like one single flock of birds, immediately shifted course towards the flying food. They surrounded each fish, pushing and scratching at each other to get the next bite, clawing their way to get at least one piece of the precious fish (Tuffnet couldn't help but be reminded of the way he and Ruffnut interacted most times). It looked like a school of piranha flying in mid-air, eager for fresh meat, and despite everything in his head telling him to leave, Tuffnut simply couldn't look away from the carnage. He was mesmerized by the gore, but there was also a strange grace to it all--like watching the synchronized movements of fish underwater, or the graceful flight pattern of a flock of birds. He had to admire the way they coordinated themselves, even when they were all fighting for their own bit of food.

All the fish the lad had harpooned was naught but bones now, the skeletons lying on the ground in a pile. All the reptiles miraculously seemingly satiated; realizing this, the Terrible Terrors hovered in midair, their focus once again upon Tuffnut. The blonde in question blanched. _WHY_ had he just stood there!? Why hadn't he run away while they were distracted with the fish?

He wasn't about to make the same mistake again.

Without another thought, Tuffnut turned straight around and ran back down the hill, equipment in hand. Immediately, the Terrors shot off after him, determined to catch him. And to Tuffnut's horror, it seemed they might succeed, despite his running downhill; he could hear the beating of their wings growing louder. Running as fast as his legs could carry him, panting hard but pressing on, Tuffnut ran like his life depended on it (and it very well may have)...but in the end, it just wasn't enough.

His eyes went wide and he let out a gasp when he felt not one, not two, or even three, but six pairs of feet grasp at his shoulder and dig in, while another two pairs pried his tools from his hands. Soon, his feet were flailing uselessly underneath as he desperately tried to continue running. Tuffnut closed his eyes and cried out in despair as the dragons carried him off.

"Oh, I'm definitely in pain! I'm in extreme, definite pain, and I'm gonna die, and I'll never know the pleasure of a woma...huh?"

He opened his eyes to find that he had cleared the trees of the forest, and was now heading in the direction of the village in the distance. Tuffnut felt himself...he was still in one piece! He wasn't dead! And apparently, he was being supported by nearly the entire flock of Terrible Terrors, formed into a single mass in order to bear his weight. Tuffnut sat upon the huddled dragons like Aladdin would sit on his magic carpet, feeling the strange vibrations of wings beating right below him, and touching the spikes along their backs that lay flat to save him from their pain. Those dragons that were not supporting him or carrying his equipment were huddled right next to him, purring at him, licking him, and glancing at him in adoration.

Tuffnut was in awe of what was happening. They weren't trying to kill him, they weren't tearing him limb from limb...no, they were carrying him back to the village where he came from, grateful for the feast he had provided. His fear slowly turned to excitement, and he let out an emphatic "WHOOO-HOO-HOO! YEAH!" Growing braver, Tuffnut began rising on his own two feet, trying to balance himself with the undulating mass of dragons beneath him. As he stabilized himself in a surfer's stance and released his hands from backs of the Terrors, they repositioned themselves to focus more on supporting his two feet, which left a small hole directly between his legs. Tuffnut paled, and told himself not to look down again.

"Just enjoy the ride...just enjoy the ride…all right!"

He looked straight ahead, squinting his eyes from the rush of wind but able to see that the village was getting even closer, and that the flight wouldn't last much longer. But Tuffnut couldn't remember the last time he felt so alive, so...free. Yeah, that was it—he felt free. Free from responsibility, free from his sister, free from even being a Viking. There was no one else flying with him right now, no one stuck to his side, no one else sharing the pleasure of surfing the wind. It was _only_ Tuffnut up here, riding on this blanket of reptiles. And as he thought about it, he couldn't be sure that anyone else had ever flown like this at all. It was like he was walking on air...and he was the first to do it!

All too soon, however, the Terrors began their descent into the village. Realizing that they didn't know where he lived, Tuffnut guided them to his backyard by moving his feet to put slightly more pressure on one side of the dragon mass. They understood the direction, and turned towards his hut. _'Wish I'da thought of doing that earlier'_, the boy thought to himself. He wished he had more time to experiment with this new flying method, but it wouldn't happen today: he was already home.

The Terrible Terrors got as low to the ground as they were comfortable with, hovered a bit, then quickly removed themselves from underneath him as his feet hit the ground, his net and harpoon being placed beside him. Tuffnut looked around his backyard. The Hideous Zippleback he and his sister shared was sleeping near the tree line of the forest (heads zipped together), and no one else was in sight—everyone was inside, busy with their own chores. He turned back to the cloud of reptiles that had just carried him out of the forest; they were all hovering above the ground, eyes focused on him. He smiled at them, and they pounced on him and tackled him to the ground. Tuffnut wasn't scared this time, however; he knew they were simply showing affection. All one-hundred-something of them crawled on him, purring, trying to show their appreciation for him feeding them. He laughed, happier than he had been in a very long time. He didn't have to be that obnoxious, prankster Viking teen with the twin sister around these guys; he could be simply Tuffnut the human.

He hadn't been simply Tuffnut the human in a long time. It felt...refreshing.

The dragon clan began to disperse, flying back towards their hidden clearing in the trees. One by one, they gave him one last nudge or lick, then flew away. Tuffnut stood up. For all his former fear of them, was sad to see them go. He wondered whether he would ever find their hideout again, or if they'd even be there next time. He wondered if he'd ever see them again at all. So deep in thought the teenager was, that he didn't noticed the Terrible Terror still perched on his shoulder until it purred again. He started slightly, then looked at it. He had to admit...it was kind of cute. Or cool...yeah, that's what he meant—it was cool looking. Not cute. Cool...yeah.

And apparently, judging by the fact that it hadn't flown off and didn't look like it was going to anytime soon, it wanted to stay with him. Tuffnut smiled. His own dragon...he had his own dragon. It was his and his alone.

"All right, so you wanna hang around? That's cool...let's show you off to Ruffnut, she's gonna be so jealous!"

Picking his fishing equipment up off of the ground, Tuffnut started towards the house...but froze as he heard the stirring of his Zippleback. He turned around as he watched the dragon slowly open its eyes and began stretching out to its full length. The gigantic beast unzipped its heads and shook the sleep out of its eyes, before focusing its steely gaze upon Tuffnut, who stood frozen to the spot, suddenly wishing that the dragon would stare at anything else in the world but him.

Him, and his net with absolutely no fish....

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_That's it! Please, let me know what you think of it; I accept all forms of comments, criticisms and cruelties._

_Next up is the Hideous Zippleback. Thanks for reading!_


	4. The Hideous Zippleback

_Hey, welcome back to another chapter of The Dragon Manual!_

_Folks, I don't think I can apologize enough for the delay in this chapter. I had an intense case of Writer's Block when trying to come up with this one, and it was finally broken. I'm still not entirely happy with how it came out, but I do feel that it's good enough to be presentable. Again, though, as much as I possibly can, I'd like to apologize profusely for the delay in this chapter._

_That being said, from the very bottom of my heart, I'd like to give a heart-felt _**THANK YOU**_ to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited, and/or subscribed to this story. In a very short amount of time, you guys have made this the most popular out of all my eight stories published on this site. I can't tell you how inspiring it was; there was a definite possibility that this story would've gone unfinished if it weren't for the sheer amount of people I knew were waiting for it to continue. So yes...thank you to all of you. You make it all worth it _:-)_!_

_One more thing--as this section of has grown, so have the number of AMAZING stories in it. I'll try and highlight a few of the ones I'm currently enjoying; this time, it's **Enchantable**'s "By Land or Sea," and **Freightrain**'s "While You Were Out." Be sure to check them out if you haven't already; they're both pretty damn good!  
_

_All right...on with the chapter! Again, I own nothing except the storyline of the story. I hope it was worth the wait!_

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**Hideous Zippleback**

_One of the longest of the known dragons, the Hideous Zippleback is also one of the most unpredictable. Two heads makes it twice as deadly; one head shoots out gas, while the other one lights it, creating massively destructive explosions. Its teeth also secrete venom, used to digest its food quickly. Extremely dangerous; kill on sight._

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It should go without saying that you can't live your entire life being very nearly tied to the hip with someone like Tuffnut Thorston without being a bit crazy for it. Ruffnut Thorston, Tuffnut's twin sister, would agree whole-heartedly to the sentiment, and no one who knew her would say otherwise. The teenaged Viking girl was a bit of an adrenaline junkie, to say the least, and she was always on the lookout to find something else to prove her fearlessness. Of course, Ruffnut wasn't bullheaded enough to actually _seek out_ dangerous stunts to pull off, but if one presented itself, she would probably be the first one to tackle it.

Such was the case today. It wasn't that the idea had suddenly popped into her head and she decided to try it...well, actually, that's exactly what had happened, but it came about at the end of a long thought train, one that began with Ruffnut's twin brother. She hadn't seen too much of him lately, surprisingly enough. He had been spending all his time with his newly acquired Terrible Terror, showing him around town and showing him off to all of his friends. It was a strange period for Ruffnut; with her brother out and about all the time, she found herself a bit...lonely. Not that she would ever admit it even under extreme torture, but as much as Tuffnut infuriated her (every day, all the time), he was Ruffnut's closest companion. They did everything together apart from taking baths (and considering that Tuffnut did that about once a month by Ruffnut's estimate, that was hardly an issue). Their names were called out together in almost every instance, and whenever there was mischief on Berk, it was almost always caused by the Thorston Twins, not simply one or the other.

It'd been that way for Ruffnut since was about 13, about the time she and her former best friend started drifting apart. And it wasn't that they grew to be radically different--both were fairly reckless, decidedly tomboyish, and able to compete with (and beat, in most cases) any of the boys their age. It's just that when they became teenagers, Ruffnut more-or-less stayed the same, while Astrid focused on honing her skills as a future dragon slayer. Whenever Ruffnut would suggest that they get into some shenanigans, Astrid would turn her down, saying that she had to practice and train and become better and become perfect. The respect of the village was everything to her, and while Ruffnut understood, she didn't enjoy losing touch with the only other girl in the village her age. Astrid hadn't changed much at all in the following years, and it hurt Ruffnut to watch Astrid strive to be the best; not because she was jealous of the girl, but because it was her perfectionism that had dissolved their friendship. And while she still had a great amount of respect for the beautiful young Viking, Ruffnut couldn't help but scoff whenever Astrid would beat herself up for making the smallest mistakes, and she couldn't help but smirk whenever Astrid lost at something. Yet in spite of all the slightly bitter feelings, she wondered if there would ever be a day when the two could rekindle their relationship, especially now that killing dragons was definitely NOT the focus of the tribe. Perhaps one day, maybe even one day soon...but that day had not yet come, and without her ever-present twin, who had become her de-facto best friend since she and Astrid drifted apart, Ruffnut found herself uncharacteristically longing for companionship.

It wasn't just her social life that had been suffering, either. Without Tuffnut, Ruffnut was grounded. The Hideous Zippleback that the two shared required _two_ riders, one for each of its heads. And while the Zippleback was perfectly free to fly on its own, even it didn't feel quite right anymore without humans on its backs. It had been a few days since she had flown, and each day it became progressively harder for Ruffnut to deal with as she saw her peers take to the skies, each on their own dragon, free to do whatever they liked up there. She _loved_ the absolute lack of control one had in the sky--the tiniest unforeseen gust of wind could make you lose control and plummet to your doom. The teen was beginning to go crazy...she needed to feel the rush of flying on the back of huge, fire-breathing dragon again. Too bad the one she had needed two riders to control....

_...Or DID it?_

Ruffnut couldn't believe she hadn't thought of it before: If she couldn't have her usual co-pilot helping her out, why not try and fly the dragon herself? It seemed like a crazy enough idea to try, and if nothing else, she'll at least get to get off the ground again. She strolled up to the Zippleback resting behind her house and pitched the idea to both heads.

"So listen...I just had the most insane idea in the history of insane ideas. We're gonna go flying, just us two...I mean, just us three...I mean...ugh! You know what I mean! Since Doofnut isn't here right now, I'm going to ride you by myself."

The two heads of the dragon looked at each other warily. They had learned to trust the twins implicitly whenever they rode upon the beast, and even though it hadn't forgotten how to fly without riders, they counted on both of them to control each head while in the air. The heads couldn't tell how having one rider would affect their flight, but neither side could foresee a positive outcome from the experiment. Ruffnut, on the other hand, saw herself as the envy of the village, able to control both heads of the Zippleback at the same time as the other Vikings watched in awe and wonder...one in particular, but enough about that.

The only problem was how to go about finding the right spot from which to fly the dragon. _'Guess a little trial and error couldn't hurt'_, she thought to herself. _'Well...actually, it could hurt a lot, but that's all the more reason to go for it'_.

The dragon lowered its heads as Ruffnut climbed onto one of them, attaching the saddle in proper fashion. She decided to simply try to control the dragon from the right head, leaving the left head without a rider. Once she found a comfortable position right at the front of the neck behind its skull, the twin girl signaled to the Zippleback to take off. The dragon complied; it spread its wings, stretched out its extremely long necks, and with a few heavy flaps, felt its feet lift off the ground. As they rose above the trees behind the Thorston house, Ruffnut couldn't help but think that this particular piloting method probably wouldn't work out for too long; the uncontrolled head was looking about to and fro, not paying its full attention to where Ruffnut was trying to guide it. Not only that, but because the weight was distributed unevenly on the dragon's front end (with Ruffnut adding an extra 9 stones or so of weight to only the right side), the left head had to compensate by pulling away from the right side in order to stay straight. Unfortunately, its neck couldn't handle the strain of this compensation for too long into the flight, and it wasn't too long after takeoff that Ruffnut found her dragon veering off to the right...and then eventually pointing downward.

_'Crash and burn, here I come...hope this thing doesn't roll over on me'_, she thought as the ground rushed up to meet her. Fortunately, she managed to keep her balance on top of the Zippleback's neck as it hit the dirt and dug out a trench before coming to rest near the forest's edge, and the dragon itself wasn't hurt much at all thanks to its thick hide. Ruffnut was a tad bit shaken, though--the adrenaline rushing through her body was still pumping fast, and she found that her hands were shaking. It wasn't a bad feeling, however; as a matter of fact, she felt more like a kid getting off of a rollercoaster.

"That was great! Let's do it again!"

Ruffnut jumped off of the Zippleback's head and landed on the ground, eager to get back up in the air. She would have to go about this a bit differently; she wanted to stay near the front, but she had to keep in the middle, which obviously couldn't happen if there was air there. And that's when she remembered one of the special characteristics of the Zippleback: it could "zip" its heads together to form one long neck! Ruffnut could simply sit in the middle of the zipped-together heads, and perhaps maintain better control of the reptile that way. She pitched the idea to her dragon, and though it once again looked wary, the Zippleback ultimately agreed to the plan. Ruffnut left the saddle behind this time as she climbed upon the now-single neck of the dragon. Once she was settled comfortably (or as comfortable as one could be while riding on the combined necks of a dragon), Ruffnut gave the signal, and they took off towards the clouds.

The heads undulated in unison as Ruffnut rode on top of them higher and higher in the sky. She couldn't believe it; it was working! Now that her weight was distributed evenly, there was hardly any struggle to keep it straight, and unlike last time, she had to do very little work to make sure they didn't nosedive. The blonde girl pumped her fists in the air.

"I'm doing it! I'm actually riding this two-headed thing myself! I can't believe it!" Ruffnut screamed into the wind as she basked in the glory of triumph. Too bad she celebrated too soon....

There was a reason why Zipplebacks usually didn't fly with their heads zipped together. Being that close to each other, the two heads feel uncomfortable with the other invading their personal space, and eventually begin fighting for control of the flight; inevitably, they split apart and begin fighting each other physically. This happens even if there's someone flying on top of them, as Ruffnut was quick to find out.

The cheering and celebrating came to an abrupt halt once Ruffnut noticed the dirty looks that the heads were giving each other. She almost knew exactly what was going to happen before it actually happened: the heads began growling and nipping at each other, and eventually they began biting at each other's throats...which meant that they unzipped. Which meant that, not a second after feeling victorious about single-handedly flying a multi-headed dragon, Ruffnut was very suddenly floating on air between the now-split-apart necks of the dragon, with nothing but the ground far beneath her.

"Spoke too sooooooooon!" she screamed as she began to plummet back to Earth. She was certain she was about to die…and suddenly, inexplicably, she saw her brother, annoying as ever, but always by her side; she saw Astrid, at one point as close as a sister to her; she saw Hiccup and Fishlegs, misunderstood, but perhaps the truest Vikings she'd ever known; she saw Snotlout, and she felt her heart beating faster....

"OOOOOHHFFF!"

Ruffnut landed hard, and it hurt a bit. But...she could still feel pain, which meant she was alive. And it wasn't even too much pain. And the ground was strangely mobile, and awfully scaly....

Ruffnut shook the daze from her head. Once she got her senses about her, she realized that she was once again riding on the dragon (it had apparently noticed that she was no longer on its back, and immediately nosedove underneath and caught her), only this time she was positioned on the body, right where the necks met. Right where Snotlout had landed when he leapt blindly off Gigantor. Now, there was one insane stunt. She couldn't believe he had even attempted it, but not only was he successful, he had then played off the daring feat with a simple exclamation: "I can't believe that actually worked." Before that, Ruffnut thought he was all talk and no walk; however, after seeing how he had fought on top of the huge beast, and then took a leap of faith bigger than any ever attempted in the history of Vikingdom, she had come to the conclusion that Snotlout might've been slightly crazy...and she liked it. More than she cared to admit, even. And after the Final Death, her crush on him had only grown, especially since it seemed like he had finally taken his sights off of Astrid (realizing she was all but taken nowadays), and had lately focused more on impressing her.

Ruffnut sighed. She definitely didn't mind the attention at all...in fact, it was refreshing. She sometimes felt that the rest of their group forgot that, while she was the twin sister of a notorious prankster, and did crazy things simply for the sake of doing them, and was never afraid to get down and dirty, she was still a girl, after all. Sometimes she herself forgot about the fact, but the attention she received from Snotlout reminded her quite well that she was slightly prone to being wooed. It might've disgusted her, actually, if it didn't feel so nice....

The dragon began descending towards the Thorston household. Ruffnut didn't mind; one near-death experience per day was enough (sometimes). And while she couldn't actually control the dragon from where she was sitting, she did enjoy the solitary flight. She hardly ever got a chance to do things alone, and never had she gone up in the air by herself. It was an interesting experience; perhaps she'd recommend her brother try it.

Said brother was actually in their backyard awaiting their landing, his Terrible Terror sleeping on his shoulder. The Zippleback touched down lightly, and Ruffnut dismounted. She wobbled a bit as a result of her freefall as Tuffnut walked over to her.

"Well, if it isn't the stunt devil. I sat here and watched you free fall from hundreds of feet above the ground. I give it an eight-point-five; you need to work on your twists."

"How about I work on twisting your neck!" Ruffnut retorted, ready to duke it out with her twin. Tuffnut held up his hands in defense.

"Whoa, whoa, slow down. I also saw you riding that thing by yourself. Looked pretty awesome; you'll definitely have to show me how you managed that one."

Ruffnut let slip a small smile. She also sometimes forgot that Tuffnut, while being the most obnoxious, nauseating, and annoyingly infuriating person she ever had the displeasure of being born three minutes after, was also the only person that had always made her feel that everything she did had merit, and that she was perfectly fine just as she was, no matter how ruff around the edges she happened to be.

"Yeah...maybe I'll show you some of my secret techniques," she said with a smirk.

"Cool...but if you do, you'll definitely have to show me how not to fall to my doom like you nearly did. I don't want my face to hit the ground from a hundred feet up and come out looking like yours." Tuffnut retorted with a smug look. Ruffnut fumed; he was DEFINITELY the most _obnoxious_, _nauseating_ and _annoyingly infuriating_ person she had ever met.

"That's it, you're done!" She screamed as Tuffnut turned tail and ran, laughing all the while. As Ruffnut gave chase, the two heads of the Zippleback looked at each other, puzzled. They would probably never understand the behavior of their humans, getting along one second, then wanting to kill each other the next. At least THEY didn't act that way.

Their puzzled looks turned to confused stares, which turned into threatening glares. Well...not all the time, at least....

* * *

_And there you have it! I hope you enjoyed it!_

_I can't believe how long these last two chapters were in comparison with the first two; it makes me feel like the first two weren't developed enough. I really wanted to dive into the character of each twin separately, because they were the least developed teens in the movie, character-wise (IMO). I hope the relationships between Ruffnut and the others were believable (I actually kinda want to flesh out Astrid and Ruffnut's history, but probably won't. If anyone else wants to, feel free!). The Ruffnut/Snotlout bit actually came about because when I first saw the movie, I thought it was Ruffnut who yelled out, "Yeah! You're the Viking!" while Snotlout was smashing eyeballs (I realized it was Astrid after watching it a couple more times). Still, I like the pairing; I figure if Ruffnut couldn't have Hiccup and Snotlout couldn't have Astrid, they'd have each other _:-)_. And in case you're wondering, in terms of weight, a stone = 14 lbs. (6 or so kg)...so 9 stones would be about 119 lbs., which is somewhere in the ballpark of how much I think Ruffnut weighs.  
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_Random interjection: if you haven't checked out the little vignettes on the main website (howtotrainyourdragon.c0m), you really ought to. There's three sets: the introduction of each dragon as the students take them on individually (which is actually all in one video), little snippets about each dragon in the form of someone reading their information from the Dragon Manual, and the Viking-Dragon Winter Games, which investigates the origins of such noble Olympic events as Bobsledding, Snowboarding and Ski-Jumping. The latter set, in particular, is hilarious; be sure to check them out, yeah?  
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_**Please review** if you'd like...I accept all forms of comments, compliments, complaints, criticisms and cruelty _;-)_. Next dragon up is...a bit of a surprise, actually (hint--it's not one of the six main dragons). Hopefully it won't take nearly as long to put up as this chapter did, but I won't make any promises _:-P_. See you next time!_


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